Ana Belac turned pro in March of 2020. In August, she played in her first LPGA Tour tournament. In October she won her first pro tournament on the Symetra Tour. Not too shabby a progression into the pro ranks for the Slovenian golfer! Belac, age 23 at the time of this writing, began her pro career on the Symetra Tour with a July 2020 debut. In her second tournament, she finished 11th. In her third, ninth. In her fifth event on the Symetra Tour, Ana placed fifth at the IOA Golf Classic in September. The next week, she had a 10th-place showing. So, if you're not keeping score at home, that means that her in her first six starts, she had three Top 10 finishes plus an 11th. Which brings us to the Carolina Golf Classic, a tournament that concluded on October 31. And a tournament that Ana Belac won for her first professional victory. She led after the first round, after the second and after the final — a wire-to-win win. Belac had a 6-stroke edge going into the final round, and
Matilda Castren is now a professional golf champion. Castren earned her first win as a pro at the Symetra Tour's 2020 Mission Inn Resort and Club Championship. Castren, from Finland, finished a comfortable five strokes ahead of the second-place golfer. Castren was the only golfer in the three-round tournament to post two scores in the 60s, shooting 68-68 over the first two rounds. She closed with a 2-under 71 to finish at 12-under 207. The victory moved her to 15th on the Symetra Tour money list. The win came one week after Castren finished 23rd in the 2020 Women's PGA Championship, an LPGA major and the fifth LPGA tournament she's played in 2020. That was her best finish to date on the LPGA. Castren, now 25 years old, turned pro in 2018 following a stellar collegiate career at Florida State. That career included seven NCAA victories, and Castren was a two-time All-America selection.